Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in north-central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. While the municipality itself covers an area of 91.88 square kilometers (35.37 sq mi), the agglomeration area covers 434 square kilometers (168 sq mi).
The city is the economic and financial center of Switzerland. It is categorized as an Alpha global city, according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and accounts for more than a quarter of the gross domestic product of Switzerland. Zurich is a mixed hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.
Zurich is a leading global city in several aspects: it is ranked as the world’s richest city in terms of GDP per capita; it has the world’s largest financial center; and it hosts more FTP clients than any other city in the world. In 2014, Zurich was named the best city to live in by Mercer. In 2017, it was ranked as the 8th most expensive city in the world by Forbes.
Zurich is a global center for banking and finance and is home to many large financial institutions, including Credit Suisse, UBS, Thurgauer Kantonalbank, Zurich Cantonal Bank, Raiffeisen, Zurich Insurance Group, Swiss Re and SIX Group. The city is also home to a large number of multinational companies, including ABB, Adecco, Alstom, Cargill, Credit Suisse, DHL, Ernst & Young, GlaxoSmithKline, Nestlé, Novartis and UBS.
